About Beach Physics

Beach Physics is an outreach program run by the UCSD Physics department that makes physics relevant to students because it centers around–you guessed it!–the beach. The program is a combination of outreach events at the beach around San Diego, and online lessons about physics at the beach. Check them out here!

This creative, supplement program is ideal for middle school students who want to improve their proficiency in physics through fun and humorous real-world examples. Each episode forms a unit complete with learner’s modules, teacher’s guide and parents’ guide.

Check out this brief introduction:

Each episode centers on the student, using a “click and choose” learner-directed approach while exploring a specific beach-related phenomenon–such as sunburn, sand castles, and surfing. We use the inquiry method to help students discover and understand the key cross-cutting physics concepts implemented in the Next Generation Science Standards. Each lesson is also paired with vocabulary exercises, a “test your knowledge” quiz, and other resources to broaden learning.